SOLSKJAER CAN’T BEAT THE SYSTEM
JUST a week ago Ole Gunnar Solskjaer expressed his surprise and joy about having a fully fit squad available to him.
“Everyone’s fit. Paul [Pogba]’s suspended but to have everyone else available to choose from is unprecedented really in the middle of the season and when we’re having tough times, but we’re ready,” he said.
It didn’t last long.
In the seven days since, United have definitely lost one and potentially two members of the backthree that made them so much more solid and secure as they bounced back from the Liverpool mauling to defeat Tottenham 3-0.
The first to fall was Victor Lindelof.
The centre-back, who has been putting in some solid displays of late, picked up a knock in training that ruled him out of the trip to Atalanta. It’s not thought to be anything major, but we’ve seen recently just how foolish it is to rush players back from injury.
Raphael Varane being the perfect example.
United’s summer signing missed the defeats to Leicester and Liverpool with a groin strain picked up over the international break and came back with great effect against Spurs.
Either he’s more injury-prone than expected or he wasn’t fully fit but, in the very next match, he lasted just 38 minutes. This time he suffered a hamstring injury and faces a month on the sidelines.
Varane will definitely be unavailable for the visit of City on Saturday and the timing couldn’t be any worse.
Solskjaer reverted back to the 3-41-2 that served him so well in his early days in charge at Old Trafford against Spurs, in response to the continued failures of the 4-2-3-1 this season.
It worked a treat. United were much more compact at the back and the midfield finally looked comfortable in their roles, knowing exactly where they needed to be. It made the team actually look like a unit and much more difficult to play through. With Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford off the bench, they had just enough firepower upfront to grab the goals required. It’s clear that the formation needs to stay as United can just be so easily played through when there are only two central defenders in play.
It was proven once again against Atalanta. With Varane injured Solskjaer
changed the shape and the Italians had plenty of joy in attack once they did. They really should have won the match, but Ronaldo was to the rescue once again. Against City, a team who have had their own little wobble recently but still have an untold amount of attacking talent, United will be sliced apart like a hot knife through butter if they once again opt for a back four. The back-three, however, would give the sort of solidity that can frustrate the Blues and leave them vulnerable to a smash and grab. The only issue is, if Solskjaer does indeed stick with the formation, a completely new back-three will likely have to be test-driven for the first time. Harry Maguire would remain in the middle but to his right would be Eric Bailly and on the left Luke Shaw would likely have to be brought inside – meaning Alex Telles would come into man the flank. There’s nothing saying the backthree can’t work.
If anything, Bailly’s surprisingly excellent display against Atalanta, despite so long sat left twiddling his thumbs after being repeatedly overlooked, bodes well.
But the Ivorian has been error (and injury) prone during his time at United and with Shaw and Maguire’s drop in form this season it is certainly a risk.
It really could go either way but United need the system even if they haven’t got the ideal players to use it.
Solskjaer reverted back to a system against Spurs that served him well in his early days
Daniel Murphy
WEST Ham United coach Stuart Pearce believes United transfer target Declan Rice is ‘slightly better’ than former United captain Roy Keane when he was at Rice’s current age.
Rice, who has been identified as a primary target by United to bolster their midfield options next year, has been nothing short of outstanding in recent weeks, playing a key role in the Hammers’ fine start to the season.
The England international, who has been linked with a move away from the London Stadium frequently in the past 18 months or so, netted his first Premier League goal of the season on Sunday, netting West Ham’s second goal in their 4-1 win over Aston Villa at Villa Park. Scoring goals from midfield is becoming a more regular theme within Rice’s game, with the 22-year-old having now bagged three in all competitions so far this season. Continuing to go from strength-to-strength,
Hammers coach Pearce has now admitted that he believes the United transfer target is performing a better standard than what Keane was when he was at the age of 22 and beginning to make a name for himself.
Pearce said: “Rice can go as far as he wants. Every game he takes the field the expectation from me [is that] he needs to be the best player on the pitch, in every game.
“He’s got the tools to do that, the stature to do it. He’s got everything. He is an absolute pleasure to work with at this place. He drives us in midfield. “I was sat next to [West Ham coach] Billy McKinlay at the weekend and he said to me: ‘Is he as good as Roy Keane at the same age?’ I said I think he is probably slightly better.
“We had Roy at Forest with us before he moved on to United and I’d have to say he is slightly better than Roy. Whether he’ll have the career that Roy had... it is all there for him though.”